Pinch-pleated draperies



y 6, 1969 D. J. BAFIQBOUR 3,442,319

PINCH-PLEATED DRAPERIES Filed Jan. 16, 1967 INVENTOR. DOROTHYJ. BARBOUR BY a ATTORNEY y 1969 D. J. BARBOUR 3,442,319

PINCH-PLEATED DRAPERIES Filed Jan. 16, 1967 Sheet .3 of s I l I I I I I I I I I I v QIIPKJKIJ :151111 523111 1111a: I4a. I3 W 31:5 .7 v 5 u INVENTOR. DQROTH v1. HARBOUR BYQ Z E A TTORNE Y y 1969 D. J. BARBOUR 3,442,319

PINCH-PLEATED DRAPERIES Filed Jan. 16, 1967 INVENTOR. DOROTH YI BA RBOUR A TTORNE Y United States Patent O US. Cl. 160-330 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Drapery material is formed into panels, each having a narrow down-turned top fold to inner and outer sides of which has been stitched in superposed relation a continuous narrow strip of reinforcing or stiffening material and a continuous narrow strip of perforated material, respectively. Spaced peats formed in the folded top portions of the panels are retained in given pleated condition by stitching through the superposed layers, and this stitching anchors the narrow strips against lateral extension. Panels are supported at a window as by a rigid rod threaded through the perforations of the perforated strip not occupied by the pleats.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION In the past, pinch-pleated draperies, made of lined or unlined fabric, have been hung on traverse rods by use of various types of hook means provided with reversely bent, pointed ends which were inserted into pleated portions of the drapes. When, however, draperies were made of thin material, such as synthetic resin plastics, insertion of the pins tended to damage the thin film material. Moreover, by prior methods of making pleated plastic draperies the pleated portions tended to droop and become unsight- 1y. Prior methods of reinforcing the pleated tops of such plastic draperies were expensive and did not satisfactorily solve the problem of sagging pleats, or eliminate the necessity for use of known types of hooked hanging means.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The improved curtain lends itself to economical production by the steps of simultaneously converging and superposing relatively narrow strips of continuous reinforcing material and continuous perforated material with an edge of a continuous sheet of drapery material, while also continuously stitching the superposed portions together to form elongated pocket means between the perforated strip and the drapery material, and continuously forming said edge into a narrow fold With the perforations exposed outwardly thereof. The continuously formed material is cut into elongated curtain panels having narrow folded portions along the top rear side portions of the same. Pinch pleats formed along the folded tops of the' panels are held by stitching, which also serves to anchor the multiple-layered inturned fold against lateral extension at the pleats. The stitching for the pinch-pleats define a series of closed pockets each having a plurality of rearwardly exposed perforations for inwardly and outwardly threaded reception of a curtain-supporting rod.

One object of the present invention is to provide improved draperies of the character described, and an economical method of making the same, by which the pinchpleated top ends of the drapes are firmly and uniformly supported in neat, decoratively attractive manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide pinchpleated draperies of the character described having improved means by which a drape can be easily and effectively hung on a window by direct, uniformly strong, sliding attachment of the drape to a curtain rod, and thereby eliminating the use of pointed hooks and the perplexing 3,442,319 Patented May 6, 1969 effort normally required for attaching such hooks to draperies.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawmgs.

0f the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a pinch-pleated drape embodying the features of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper right-hand portion of the drape shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 2, but illustrating the rear construction of the drape in the area corresponding to the upper right-hand corner of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary top edge view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating apparatus for making draperies in accordance with the method of the invention.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged top plan view, taken substantially on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view, on substantially the same scale as FIGURES 2 and 3, of a drapery panel as it comes from the apparatus of FIG- URES 5 and 6.

FIGURE 8 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 7, but illustrating a succeeding step in the method in which a top fold is made in the drape panel.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary view corresponding to FIGURE 8, but illustrating a step of forming the threefingered pleats in the folded portion of the drape.

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary rear elevation of a portion of the drape, corresponding to FIGURE 4, illustrating the manner of hanging the finished drape on a flat curtain rod.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 4, there is illustrated a pinch-pleated drape 10 of decorative fabric, fiber glass, cotton, or plastic material, including an elongated, rectangular panel portion 11, having an integral, reversely formed, inturned narrow fold 12 along the top edge of the same. Secured directly to the inner and outer faces of fold 12, by means of continuous series 13, 13 of stitches in vertically spaced parallelism (see FIGURE 4), to be inherently unattached with respect to panel portion 11, may be a continuous strip 14 of stiffening material, such as buckram, and a slotted strip 15 of flexible, slightly elastic, synthetic resin plastic material, respectively. Laterally spaced, vertically extending pleats 16, 16 along the top of the drape are formed, in a manner to be described later, in the superposed layers, including the panel 11, the fold 12, and the strips 14 and 15, and are maintained in pleated condition as by a continuous vertical series 17 of stitches in each instance, and as best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, or as indicated at 17a in FIGURE 4. In other words, it should be noted that the strips 14 and 15 and the two series 13 of stitches follow into the fingers or folds of the pleats 16, thereby firmly to maintain the pleats in given formed condition.

The perforations 18, 18 of the strip 15 may be vertically elongated slots which are laterally spaced apart to provide at least two such slots in the spaces between ad jacent pleats, and between each side edge of the panel and the next adjacent pleat 16. The fold 12 may be tacked to the panel 11 adjacent opposite side edges of the latter, as by means of vertical series of stitches, as indicated at 19, 19 in FIGURES l, 2, and 3.

For hanging the drape 10 on an available drapery rod on a window, such as a fiat drapery rod 20 of known type, such rod is threaded in and out, through the elongated slots 18 in strip 15, substantially as indicated in FIGURE 10, and then the rod with the curtain suspended thereon is afiixed to suitable wall brackets (not shown) in known manner.

The drapery structure of the invention will be better understood by reference to the following brief description of the method of making a drape 10.

Referring to FIGURE 5, there is illustrated diagrammatically a roll 22 of plastic film drapery material 11a, from which the panel material is drawn and guided in known manner, past a double-needle sewing machine 24, and continuously wound onto a measuring and cutting wind-up drum 25. Simultaneously with movement of the relatively wide material 11a, a continuous narrow strip 14a of stiff reinforcing fabric, such as buckram, and a still narrower perforated strip 150 of flexible fabric,

such as cloth or synthetic material, are guided from rolls 26 and 27 thereof into continuous contact with top and bottom sides of sheet 11a, respectively, and closely adjacent one side edge of the moving sheet 11a, as best shown in FIGURE 6. This superposed relation of one marginal edge of the sheet 11a, and strips 14a and 15a is maintained while the sewing machine 24 continuously sews the three superposed layers together by means of two continuous parallel series 13, 13 of stitches (see FIGURE 6).

The roll 25 may, for example, hold from 300 to 400 yards of material, and the rolls 26 and 27 may hold corcresponding amounts of the strip material 14a and 15a. Rotation of the wind-up drum 25 is synchronized with the speed of the double-needle sewing machine 24. Depending upon the thickness of the drapery materials, the double row sewing operation is continued until a predetermined number of thicknesses of panel material are wound onto the drum 25, and then all movement in the apparatus is stopped, including the rotation of drum 25. Now, by cutting through the superposed layers wound upon the drum along two axially extending lines the sewed material on the drum is severed into approximately seventy pairs of elongated, rectangular drape panels 10, of predetermined width and length approximating the width of the material 11a fed from drum 22, and each each panel has at one end thereof the sewed fold 12, with strips 14 and 15 attached directly thereto.

Next, the severed, semi-completed drape panels 10 are removed from the drum 25 and processed through a pleating device of known type (not shown), to form a plurality of pinch-pleats 16 through the superposed layers, at spaced points along the fold 12, each pleat having three-fingered folds, as shown in FIGURE 9, for example. After these pleats 16 are so formed, either individually or in unison, they are anchored as by threadstitching along lines Within the plane of the panel, as best shown at 17 in FIGURES 2 and 4 and at 17a in FIGURE 3. The superposed layers at the top of the finished drape 10 may be stitched together at or near the opposite ends of the fold 12, as indicated by vertical stitching at 10 in FIGURES 1, 2, and 4.

Although traverse types of rods may be used to support the improved pinch-pleated draperies, the latter are easily installed for highly satisfactory sliding operation on any type of plain rod at substantially reduced cost.

Thus has been provided a very economical method for producing improved draperies of the character described above, and having the improved qualities set forth in the stated objects of the invention.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A curtain for support on a curtain rod or like elongated supporting element, comprising: a vertical panel of thin, flexible material having a relatively narrow, reversely formed, inturned fold laterally along a top edge thereof; an inner strip of flexible stiffening material and an outer strip of perforated material secured directly to the inner and outer faces of said inturned fold, respectively, along spaced parallel stitch lines with respect to said panel, and laterally coextensive with the fold, thereby to define pocket means between the perforated outer strip and said fold; said panel having laterally spaced, vertically extending pleated portions stitched at spaced intervals along its length including the laterally coextensive por tions of the panel, said fold thereof, and said inner and outer strips so secured to the fold, said fold being secured to the panel only at said vertically extending pleated portions; and laterally spaced perforations of said perforated strip thereby being exposed outwardly of the panel fold, and communicating with said pocket means for inwardly and outwardly threaded reception of a said curtain-supporting element; said pleated portions being retained substantially in the formed shapes thereof by tacking means through the superposed layers along adjacent vertical extents of said laterally coextensive portions, whereby said inner and outer strip portions are anchored in the panel at each said pleated portion for added panel-supporting strength at the pleated portions.

2. A curtain as in claim 1, said tacking means being thread stitches extending through the superposed layers of said adjacent vertical extents of the respective pleats, substantially in the plane of the panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,904,194 4/1933 Bixer -390 X 2,012,097 8/1935 Goodman 160-124 X 2,302,630 11/1942 Hess 160-348 X 2,548,475 4/1951 Hess 160-348 2,609,043 9/1952 Dubinsky 160-124 2,656,886 10/1953 Hess 160348 2,827,959 3/1958 Solow et al 160-330 3,134,348 5/1964 KaJder 160348 X DAVID J. W'ILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner. PHILIP C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 160-390 

